A nanomover is a device serving to move an object through a very small range, such as several sub-micrometers, or several nanometers, which is especially used in the alignment of optical elements.
With the growth in the optical communication and many other optical applications, optical elements alignment has become the focus of much industrial attention. This is a key production process because the connection efficiency of the optical elements greatly influences the overall production rates and the quality of the connected optical elements for the products used in optical communication.
For example, optical fiber alignment is necessary when two optical fibers are connected, when an optical fiber is connected to a photo diode or a light emission diode and when an optical fiber array is connected to an optical wave guide.
Metallic wire connection is relatively easy because an electric current will flow as long as the two wires are in contact. The connection between two optical elements, such as optical fibers, however, requires much greater precision, in the order of sub-micro-meters. Therefore, experienced technicians are needed for optical elements alignment, but as such technicians are limited in supply, this causes a bottleneck to the mass production of components for optical communications.
Automatic alignment system can shift slightly the light axes of two optical elements, such as optical fibers to minimize transmission loss. Once alignment is complete, the light axes are fixed by laser processing or a setting resin. FIG. 10 shows the organization of the typical alignment system. The system consists of a light source, alignment stages, a stage controller, a power meter to measure the light intensity, and a controlling PC. The alignment stage moves the tip of one optical fiber with sub-micrometer precision using step motors. The PC controller receives information from the power meter and feedbacks the information to the stage controller to control the alignment stage. The control signals are generated by the PC where the alignment is executed.
In above structure, the step motor can be replaced by a piezoelectric element which can convert electric energy into mechanic action so as to drive the clamp arm with a V groove locating an optical fiber.
Above mentioned structures are driven electrically and can achieve a desired precision for moving the clamp arm with a minor distance in sub-micrometer ranges. However this device is very expensive and must be driven electrically. Thus, there is an eager demand for a novel design which can improve the above mentioned disadvantages.